Abstract: In an optical imprinting method, after pressing a mold with a mold pressing mechanism detachably holding a mold against a resist applied to a transferred body to firmly attach the mold to the transferred body and detaching the mold from the mold pressing mechanism, arranging a UV light source above the up side surface of the laminated body of the mold and irradiating UV light to cure the resist. Then, after completing the resist curing, retracting the mold and the transferred body from the UV light source and separating the mold from the transferred body.

Abstract: A photopolymerizable resin composition for transferring a microstructure, which allows a thinner and uniform thin film to be formed, a transfer accuracy of extremely smaller microfine pattern to be excellent, and a curing time of the thin film to be shortened, is provided. The photopolymerizable resin composition for transferring a microstructure comprises the following component (A), component (B), component (C), component (D) and component (E) at the rate described below: (A) a 6 to 15-functional acrylate; in 0.5 to 10 mass % (B) an acrylate with a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 1000 to 10000; in 0.5 to 10 mass % (C) an acrylate having a benzene ring; in 0.5 to 10 mass % (D) a reactive diluent; in 80 to 98 mass % (E) a photopolymerization initiator; in 0.1 to 5 mass %.

Abstract: The present invention provides a nano-imprinting resin stamper including a micro structure layer on a transmissive support basal material, the micro structure layer being formed of a polymer of a resin composition that contains a silsesquioxane derivative as a major constituent having a plurality of polymerizable functional groups, another polymerizable resin component having a plurality of polymerizable functional groups and different from the silsesquioxane derivative, and a photopolymerizable initiator, in which the content percentage of the photopolymerizable initiator is equal to or more than 0.3 mass % and equal to or less than 3 mass % relative to a total mass of the silsesquioxane derivative and the polymerizable resin component, and the micro structure layer permits equal to or more than 80% of light to pass therethrough at a wavelength of 365 nm.

Abstract: A nanoimprint stamper can simultaneously conform to two types of anomaly in the shape of a transfer substrate, for example warpage and surface protrusions (including foreign objects) that differ greatly in the wavelength of variation. The nanoimprint stamper is capable of performing transfer with a smaller number of defects and in a uniform way. The nanoimprint stamper includes a light-transmitting rigid substrate, a light-transmitting resilient plate, a light-trarsmitting and flexible rigid stamper base, a light-transmitting stamper buffer layer, and a light-transmitting patterned stamp layer. The stamper buffer layer has a lower Young's modulus than the patterned stamp layer.

Abstract: A fine-structure transfer apparatus includes a stamper, a stage on which to place a transfer element having a coating of resist, and a device for heating the resist coating to be vaporized or a device for supplying a vapor of the resist into a space between the stamper and the transfer element.

Abstract: A fine-structure transfer method in which a fine-featured pattern formed on one of the two surfaces of a stamper is pressed against a coating of a resist on one of the two surfaces of a transfer element so as to transfer the fine-featured pattern to the resist coating, wherein the atmosphere in the space between the stamper and the transfer element is replaced by the vapor of the resist before the stamper is pressed against the transfer element.

Abstract: An optical imprinting device capable of simultaneously imprinting fine patterns to both surfaces of an opaque substrate is provided. The imprinting device includes a stamper having a fine pattern on its surface to imprint the fine pattern onto a surface of an object to be imprinted by pressing the stamper against the object composed of a substrate and a photo-curing resin layer formed on the substrate. The imprinting device further includes a light source for applying light to the photo-curing resin layer of the object when imprinting the fine pattern of the stamper onto the photo-curing resin layer of the object. The light source applies light to the stamper at a predetermined incident angle to the surface of the stamper.

Abstract: This invention relates to a work edge detection mechanism that enables an edge of a work to be viewed clearly through an aligning camera without adding an illumination device, and to a work transfer mechanism that uses the work edge detection mechanism. The work edge detection mechanism formed from a tubular body provided with an opening at one end thereof, the tubular body having a blocking member provided at the other end thereof, includes light-reflecting means on a lower surface side of the blocking member in order to reflect any light entering from the opening, is constructed so that the tubular body has an inside diameter (?1) at the opening of the tubular body and an inside diameter (?2) at a side of the blocking member, the inside diameter (?2) being greater than the inside diameter (?1), and enables vacuum suction transfer of the work.

Abstract: A stamper is used for the transfer of microscopic structures, the stamper including a base and a microscopic structure layer on a surface thereof, in which the microscopic structure layer has a surface layer including a polymer derived from a resin composition containing a polymerization initiator and a silsesquioxane derivative having two or more polymerizable functional groups, the microscopic structure layer has a modulus of elasticity of less than 2.0 GPa and has a thickness of 4 times or more the height of a microscopic structure formed on the surface of the microscopic structure layer.

Abstract: An imprint apparatus has a head unit with a fine structure. The head unit includes a fine imprint pattern layer including fine concavities and convexities, a resin layer on a face of the fine imprint pattern layer opposite to a face where the concavities and convexities are formed, a first pressurizing base member on a face of the resin layer opposite to a face contacting the fine imprint pattern layer, and a second pressurizing base member on a face of the first pressurizing base member opposite to a face contacting the resin layer. The resin layer has a modulus of elasticity smaller than that of the fine imprint pattern layer, and the first pressurizing base member has a modulus of elasticity smaller than that of the resin layer. A light source or a heat source may be further provided. The head unit may be light permeable. A replacement layer may be further provided for replacement.

Abstract: A resin stamper is provided that is intended for use in an optical transfer-based nanostructure transfer apparatus and which is capable of automatic transport and alignment. The resin stamper includes a support member made of a light transmitting material and having mechanical strength, an intermediate layer also made of a light transmitting material, and a patterned resin layer which is also made of a light transmitting material. The support member is larger in size than the intermediate layer and the patterned resin layer. The intermediate layer is more flexible than the patterned resin layer. Also, the patterned resin layer has a pattern of high and low areas formed in a surface thereof that is the obverse of the pattern of high and low areas in a mold.

Abstract: There is provided a method for spin coating, by which a resist is coated on a surface of a circular disc with a hole formed in its center. A method for spin coating coats a film-forming material discharged from a nozzle to an upper surface of a circular disc substrate with a through hole formed in a center while rotating the substrate. At an initial discharging stage where a discharge amount fluctuates, an inner diameter center of the nozzle is located at an initial discharge radius position apart from a position corresponding to a coat boundary of the disc substrate at an outer radial side. At a subsequent stage of stabilized discharging amount, the inner diameter center of the nozzle is moved from the initial discharge radius position to a stabilized discharge radius position around the coat boundary to further discharge the film-forming material.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a double-sided imprint apparatus capable of simultaneously imprinting both surfaces of a transfer printing target such as a doughnut-shaped, circular disc substrate. The double-sided imprint apparatus includes: an upper surface stamper device that is supported by an elevation mechanism; a lower surface stamper device that is fastened to a transport table mounted on a guide rail; and a transfer printing target separator, in which the transport table moves back and forth along the guide rail with the aid of a transport drive mechanism, thereby allowing the lower surface stamper device and the transfer printing target separator to alternately move to a position facing the upper surface stamper device, which is positioned at the center of the upper surface stamper device.

Abstract: Spots of a resist are deposited in a concentric pattern on both sides of an annular disk. A motor which rotates the disk has a rotating shaft that can be inserted into or removed from a through-hole in the disk. Two ink-jet heads provided on the obverse and reverse sides, respectively, of the disk substrate are provided such that the heads are not in contact with the sides. A carriage for causing the two ink-jet heads to move radially inward or outward with respect to the disk substrate is also provided. The ink-jet heads are moved by the carriage while the disk is rotated by the motor to apply the spots of the resist.

Abstract: A fine-structure transfer apparatus has a base plate, a first post and a second post erected on the upper surface of the base plate, an elongated stamper that is fixed at one end to the upper end face of the first post. The stamper is supported at the other end in a vertically movable manner by means of an ascending/descending unit provided on the second post. A transfer element holding stage is provided on the upper surface of the base plate between the first and second posts in a position that corresponds to the position of the lower surface of the elongated stamper where a fine pattern is formed. A pressure-applying unit is provided to reciprocate on the upper surface of the elongated stamper along a longitudinal direction thereof. The transfer apparatus is characterized by the ease with which the stamper can be detached from the transfer element.

Abstract: A disc cleaning mechanism or device has a rotary brush having a rotary shaft on which a plurality of brushes are mounted and, between adjacent brushes of which a plurality of discs is inserted, and a disc revolution stopper for preventing the discs inserted between the brushes from revolving about the rotary shaft by rotation of the rotary brush and allowing the discs to rotate. The disc cleaning mechanism includes a core roller having an uneven inner peripheral portion of the brush as a core of the brush and an uneven outer peripheral portion and a rotary shaft on which a plurality of the core rollers are mounted. The brush and the core rollers constitute a spline joint.

Abstract: The present invention includes the steps of: applying resist to a surface of a disk base material mounted on a base; mounting a stamper on the resist, wherein the stamper includes not only an area larger than the disk base material but also a concavo-convex region between chamfered sections for an inner-diameter section and an outer-diameter section of the disk base material; mounting an elastic plate on the stamper, wherein the elastic plate includes an inner-diameter section and an outer-diameter section smaller than chamfered sections of the inner-diameter section and the outer-diameter section of the disk base material and larger than the concavo-convex region of the stamper; mounting a pressing member on the elastic plate and pressing the elastic plate toward the disk base material; exposing the resist and etching the disk base material using the exposed resist as a mask; and removing the remaining resist from the disk base material.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a micropattern transfer method and a micropattern transfer device in which the small amount of resin is applied to a substrate, and the nonuniformity in thickness is prevented to arise on the obtained pattern forming layer. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a micropattern transfer method in which a micropattern is transferred to a resin by pressing a stamper having the micropattern onto the resin applied to a substrate, including the steps of: applying the resin to a surface of the substrate discretely in order to obtain a plurality of resin islands so that a center portion of each of the resin islands forms a planar thin-film, and a peripheral portion of the resin island rises higher than the center portion.

Abstract: A micropattern transfer stamper has a space that hermetically contains fluid, on an opposite side of a surface with an indented pattern formed thereon of a pattern forming sheet member. The pattern forming sheet member is convexly bent by pressure of the fluid contained in the space. When the indented pattern is transferred onto the material to be transferred, the pattern forming sheet member deforms following the surface of the material to be transferred.

Abstract: A fine-structure transfer method in which a fine-featured pattern formed on one of the two surfaces of a stamper is pressed against a coating of a resist on one of the two surfaces of a transfer element so as to transfer the fine-featured pattern to the resist coating, wherein the atmosphere in the space between the stamper and the transfer element is replaced by the vapor of the resist before the stamper is pressed against the transfer element. Also disclosed is a fine-structure transfer apparatus having at least a stamper and a stage on which to place a transfer element having a coating of a resist, further having a device for heating the resist coating to be vaporized or a device for supplying the vapor of the resist into the space between the stamper and the transfer element.